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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. snap — to click
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cold — not warm
  6. present — a gift
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bound — certain
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wind — moving air
  21. present — there
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — the time now
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com